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Cynthia Michaels

Cross Roads

Synopsis

After losing his prominent job, Benjamin Cross packs up his little trailer and moves to Wind River, a small fly-fishing town in Idaho where he plans on spending a few months recouping with his friends.
He arrives to find that Cue and Katie, the owners of a bar and grill located on the banks of the Snake River are in a power struggle with the proprietor of the prestigious hotel next to them. Ben puts his efforts toward helping them, unaware of the lengths some will go to get what they want.
Sex, greed, and murder take over the lives of Wind River’s residents, and soon, it becomes fuzzy who can be trusted.
Twists and turns will keep you reading this thriller, with the colorful small town characters surprising you when you thought you had it all figured out. And when you’re finished, you will be left wanting more, not realizing the colossal damages that greed and lust have done to affect the future of your new friends, the residents of Wind River.

Author Biography

C. Michaels is from the Pacific NW but now lives in Mexico with her Chow Chow, Rani. Michaels' writes thrillers with twisty plots that tease the reader until the end. Her books, Cross Roads and NO FEAR! are a series that follow the hotel owner, Templeton from Idaho in Cross Roads, where greed drives evil people, to Mazatlan, Mx in NO FEAR!, 25 years later where that past greed is reborn with a killer on the loose. Her latest novel, Bill of Human Wrongs is a frightening political thriller that has been compared to a Rod Serling story. C. Michaels has always had a love for the arts, in both writing and painting, finding Mazatlan's Paradise the perfect place to work. Her books are character driven, and will easily draw you into their crazy zany world, a place where for some, there are no scruples or decency.
Michaels is excited about the release of her new political thriller, Bill of Human Wrongs, now on available on Amazon.

Book Excerpt

Cross Roads

Ben slowly made his way through miles of road that weaved in
and out of mountain caresses. After crossing into Montana, he was yearning for
a nap and knew of a casino that was only a few miles past the border. He loved
to gamble and was relieved when he started seeing the billboards for the SILVER
DOLLAR CASINO. Turning up the music, he opened his window while he sang along
with Bruce Springsteen, when finally, there it was. He turned into the parking
lot and found a dark spot where he could take his nap. Inside the Scamp, he
closed his eyes and drifted off for several hours, his memories of Harry and
the incredible experience they had shared.

When he woke, it was early in the morning. Glancing at the
front of the casino, he could see the 24-hour sign, and decided to spend a
little time at the machines.

He walked into a large, dim room that was illuminated by the
lights of hundreds of machines where Ben’s ears welcomed the sound of bells
ringing with each winning spin, and his heart began pounding with excitement.
He cashed in some dollars for quarters and began the hunt for the perfect game.
He had a theory that a machine near the entrance of a casino would pay off to
entice entering patrons to try their luck. Taking a seat and setting the game
for its maximum bet, he began playing, his body tense and his insides racing.
The first game took his quarters, the second did the same, but the third did
something else.He froze, looking at the
screen and glanced around to see if any players were near, then stared again at
his four aces. He pushed the button to stand and heard the deafening
sound of his machine’s bells.

He put his cup under the spout and watched two hundred and
fifty dollars in coins drop. “Nice going, Mister.” A passing customer looked at
him with envy. Ben ignored him. It was bad luck for people to watch him play.
The last of the coins fell and he looked at his cups, all three of them. He
found the lady behind the jail bars and cashed in two of his cups, before
looking for coffee. It was now three-thirty. One more win, he thought.
He spotted a new machine and began dropping quarters. Once again, his body
reacted to the excitement he was feeling, but the machine wasn’t paying off so
he moved a few seats down where he found some small winners. He felt like the
machine was heating up so stayed with it.

Ben’s cup was nearly empty when it hit. There it was, a
straight flush worth fifteen hundred dollars! He stared in disbelief, and then
called an attendant for help. He had to calm himself. His hands were wet, and
he felt himself shuddering. The bells were loud, where was his help?

Finally, the man came and opened the back of the machine to
reset the lights, bells, and screen. “Come with me,” he grumbled.Ben followed him to a counter at the far end
of the room, and a cashier smiled from behind the bars.

“You’re a lucky man, Mister.” She counted out his bills, all
fifteen of them, and wished him more good luck.

Feeling exhausted from the excitement, Ben needed to relax.
He went to the bar for a drink, and a few moments to gather himself before
resuming his journey.